Assumption Women Hire Melia

Mass. Native Replaces Neil Stafford

June 11, 2009

Glenn Melia, a Sutton, Mass. native and former standout forward with the United States Air Force Academy, has been named the women’s soccer coach at Assumption College.

Melia replaces Neil Stafford, who resigned after a successful eight-year term with the program to assume the position of assistant coach at Central Michigan University.

Melia was a four-year starter for the Air Force Academy, earning All-Region honors three times (1986-88). He also earned a tryout for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.

He played as a postgraduate for all U.S. Air Force and U.S. military teams (1992-98), serving as team captain all six years and player/assistant coach from 1995-98. He played in the Military World Cup in Morocco in 1993 and the World Regional in Canada in 1995.

He has also played for the United States National B team (1992-93) and trained for three years with Vittorio Veneto of the Italian Serie C2 division while deployed to Aviano Air Base in Italy.

Melia is currently the associate director of coaching with the Sutton Fuller Hamlets.

As a standout at St. John’s Prep in Shrewsbury, Mass., Melia was a four-year starter (1980-83) and team captain as a senior. He was named a Worcester Telegram & Gazette Super Teamer as a junior and senior, all-New England as a senior and was a Massachusetts State team starter four times. In 1984-85 he was the team captain for the Air Force Preparatory School.

Melia received his bachelors degree from the Air Force Academy in 1989 and embarked on a 20-year active flying career retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is presently a pilot with United Airlines.